Black Turtle, Mexico

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Black Turtle, Mexico

Photograph by Bill Curtsinger, National Geographic

In this simple photograph by William Curtsinger, the slow shutter speed of the camera has recorded the swimming motion of the hatchling, while the instantaneous camera flash has frozen one instant in the turtle’s progress. The resulting image gives the impression that we can see the hatchling swim. —Annie Griffiths

Photo Tip: When shooting with flash, many photographers don’t realize that they can be creative by changing the shutter speed on their cameras. A slower shutter speed will allow movement to record, and the flash will capture one sharp instant in the blur of motion.